The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne last Saturday played host to the inaugural Forum for a Democratic China. Chinese democracy is not exactly flavour of the month with Australian businessmen and politicians who do not want to offend Beijing in any way due to economic considerations.
Nonetheless, three Melbourne political figures were among the prime movers in putting on this event along with local Chinese democracy activists. Michael Danby, ALP member for Melbourne Ports co-hosted with former Liberal MLC Victor Perton, while retired Liberal Victorian senator Tsebin Tchen was also part of the organizing group.
The views of most of the two hundred strong audience were echoed by Graham Barrett, the Vice President of the Australian Institute of Economic Affairs. Mr Barrett
Stated that it was "no longer in doubt" that China will become a global superpower but it is up to the Chinese people, as well as the democratic nations to make sure that when this occurs it is under a Chinese government that is "responsible and responsive".
Mr Barrett went on to give a series of examples as to why the present communist regime conspicuously fails on all counts to fulfill those requirements. For instance their close ties with rogue states such as Sudan, Zimbabwe, Iran and North Korea has generally involved significant financial and technical assistance free of any moral constraints as to how the money will be spent. In the case of Darfur, Chinese money and weapons are effectively being used to commit genocide.
Other speakers tended to focus more on the Chinese Communist Party's lack of "responsiveness" both to the needs of the Chinese population at large and to any outside advice that is always viewed as "criticism" or "interference".
Two of the speakers focused particularly on the atrocious treatment of workers in an allegedly "socialist" society. Dr Anita Chan remarked that workers will continue to be exploited until there is a more open regime with free association, collective bargaining and the rule of law: a sentiment that was echoed by Mr. Han Dongfan, the editor of the Chinese Labour Bulletin, who spent four horrendous years in prison after 1989. Now he has celebrity status among Chinese workers and was described by co-host Victor Perton as the "rock star of the labour movement" in China.
Mr Han reminded his audience of the appalling health and safety record of Chinese industry and outlined the way in which his group champions individual cases in the courts. They are enjoying an increasing number of successes that not only benefit the victim in terms of the compensation received, but more importantly encourage other workers to stand up for their rights. He stressed that "democracy is a process" which must operate in all aspects of public life and is about much more than deciding which political party will form a government.
China watcher, author and former senior analyst with the Defence Department's intelligence organisation Paul Monk agreed, saying that superficial political democracy was of little use and that it was essential to have "more accountable and more transparent government with freedom of expression for those seeking redress". Mr Han also pointed out that China has a history of rebellion, yet those rebellions have only ever produced yet another dictator.
Mr Albert Ho Chun-yan, Chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party and member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, likewise stressed the desirability of evolutionary change. He emphasised the value of Hong Kong's impartial civil service, equal opportunities commission, independent judiciary and free press, which though under attack from Beijing, continue to provide a positive example to liberal elements in the Mainland. He maintained that: "the liberal society in Hong Kong will gradually merge with the liberal society in China" as there is more and more interaction between the two populations. Mr. Ho also warned that when China's economic bubble bursts "only a legitimate government with the backing of the people" will be able to "lead the country out of crisis".
The issue of China's "economic bubble" was similarly raised by the forum's most eagerly anticipated speaker. Dubbed by the communist regime "the black hand of the black hands" Wang Juntao suffered 13 years incarceration for his part in the student democracy movement of the late '80's. Mr Wang declared that: "If we really look at China, it is not doing as well as Western experts think from just looking at economic growth". In the areas of "corruption, disparity of wealth, human rights and unemployment" China is in crisis, he told the audience. He argued that "most Chinese do not believe Hu Jintao can create a harmonious society" as this is impossible without democracy and the rule of law. Hu Jintao's recipe for stability is simply to extend the authoritarian rule of the state. The burgeoning number of civil disturbances in China shows that this simply is not working. Mr Wang reminded everyone that in the late 1920's the Chinese people established the first democratic state in Asia. They just need to believe that they can do so again.
It was left to Michael Danby MP to bring proceedings to a close by saying of the forum that: "I hope this is one of the steps in the journey of a thousand miles that brings us closer to a democratic China".
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